🔗 Share this article 'Paul was fun': Reflecting on snooker's departed star a score of years on. The snooker star secured The Masters three times during a compact but stellar career. All the Leeds-born talent ever wanted to do was play snooker. A sporting bug, sparked at the age of three with the help of a small snooker set on his family's living room table in his Leeds home, would culminate in a professional career that saw him secure six significant titles in a six-year span. The present year marks 20 years since the adored Hunter passed away from cancer, days short to his twenty-eighth birthday. But in spite of the passing of a phenomenal skill that rose above the pastime he cherished, his enduring mark on snooker and those who knew him endure as strong as ever. 'The game was his life': A Childhood Obsession "We'd never have known in a lifetime the boy would become a pro on the circuit," Kristina Hunter says. "But he just loved it." Hunter's father remembers how his son "showed no interest in anything else" other than snooker as a youth. "He was relentless," he says. "He competed every night after school." Beginning young: Hunter was familiar with snooker from the toddler years. After persistently asking his dad to take him to a community venue to play on professional-standard tables at the age of eight, the budding player made the transition from home play with remarkable ease. His natural ability would be developed by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from nearby Bradford, at a now former establishment in the area of Yeadon. Metoric Ascent: The Path to Glory With his parents' pleas to do his homework often being ignored as practice took priority, his parents took the "risk" of taking Hunter out of school at the age of 14 to fully focus on carving out a career in the game. It was a resounding success. Within five years, their young son had won his initial major win, the late-nineties Welsh championship. Considered one of snooker's most difficult competitions to win because of the involvement of only the top competitors, Hunter won on three occasions, in 2001, 2002 and 2004. 'Paul was fun': The Man Behind the Cue But for all his triumphs in the sport, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never deserted him. "He had a great temperament did Paul," Alan says. "He got on with everybody." "When encountering him you'd enjoy his company," Kristina states. "Paul was fun. He'd make you comfortable." Hunter's partner Lindsey, with whom he had a child, describes him as an "amazing, young cheeky beautiful soul" who was "funny, kind" and "always the last to leave the party". With his natural likability, youthful appearance and candid way with the press, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's leading figure for the new millennium. No wonder then, that he was dubbed 'The Beckham of the Baize'. Facing Adversity: A Fight Against Cancer In that year, a year that should have been the height of his career, Hunter was told he had cancer and would later undergo chemotherapy. Multiple anecdotes from across the snooker circuit attest to the man's extraordinary dedication to honor obligations to charity matches, tournaments, and media duties, all while going through treatment. Despite harsh reactions, Hunter played on through the illness and received a rapturous applause at The famous Sheffield venue when he turned out for the World Championships that year. When he died in autumn 2006, snooker's family-like circuit lost one of its cherished personalities. "It's awful," Kristina says. "I wouldn't wish any mum and dad to suffer such a loss." An Enduring Legacy: Inspiring Youth Hunter's true impact would be felt not in palaces and castles but in community venues across the UK. The Paul Hunter Foundation, set up before his death, would provide free snooker sessions to youths all over the country. The program was so successful that, according to reports, issues with young people in some areas plummeted. "The idea was for a program to help offer a constructive activity," one official said. The Foundation helped establish the basis for a huge coaching programme, which has opened up playing opportunities to children internationally. "Paul would have loved what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a leading figure in the sport stated. Never Forgotten: 20 Years Later Historic matches of their son's matches via the internet help his parents stay "connected to him". "I can watch it and I can watch Paul at any moment," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We like to reminisce about Paul," she concludes. "Initially it was painful, but I'd rather somebody remember him than him not be recalled." While he never won the World Championship, the widespread belief that Hunter would have eventually won snooker's greatest prize is etched into the sport's legend. The Masters, the competition with which he is most associated, starts later this month. The winner will lift the trophy named in his honor. But for all his successes, two decades after his death it is Paul Hunter's personality, as much his spectacular skill with a cue, that will ensure he is never forgotten.
The snooker star secured The Masters three times during a compact but stellar career. All the Leeds-born talent ever wanted to do was play snooker. A sporting bug, sparked at the age of three with the help of a small snooker set on his family's living room table in his Leeds home, would culminate in a professional career that saw him secure six significant titles in a six-year span. The present year marks 20 years since the adored Hunter passed away from cancer, days short to his twenty-eighth birthday. But in spite of the passing of a phenomenal skill that rose above the pastime he cherished, his enduring mark on snooker and those who knew him endure as strong as ever. 'The game was his life': A Childhood Obsession "We'd never have known in a lifetime the boy would become a pro on the circuit," Kristina Hunter says. "But he just loved it." Hunter's father remembers how his son "showed no interest in anything else" other than snooker as a youth. "He was relentless," he says. "He competed every night after school." Beginning young: Hunter was familiar with snooker from the toddler years. After persistently asking his dad to take him to a community venue to play on professional-standard tables at the age of eight, the budding player made the transition from home play with remarkable ease. His natural ability would be developed by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from nearby Bradford, at a now former establishment in the area of Yeadon. Metoric Ascent: The Path to Glory With his parents' pleas to do his homework often being ignored as practice took priority, his parents took the "risk" of taking Hunter out of school at the age of 14 to fully focus on carving out a career in the game. It was a resounding success. Within five years, their young son had won his initial major win, the late-nineties Welsh championship. Considered one of snooker's most difficult competitions to win because of the involvement of only the top competitors, Hunter won on three occasions, in 2001, 2002 and 2004. 'Paul was fun': The Man Behind the Cue But for all his triumphs in the sport, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never deserted him. "He had a great temperament did Paul," Alan says. "He got on with everybody." "When encountering him you'd enjoy his company," Kristina states. "Paul was fun. He'd make you comfortable." Hunter's partner Lindsey, with whom he had a child, describes him as an "amazing, young cheeky beautiful soul" who was "funny, kind" and "always the last to leave the party". With his natural likability, youthful appearance and candid way with the press, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's leading figure for the new millennium. No wonder then, that he was dubbed 'The Beckham of the Baize'. Facing Adversity: A Fight Against Cancer In that year, a year that should have been the height of his career, Hunter was told he had cancer and would later undergo chemotherapy. Multiple anecdotes from across the snooker circuit attest to the man's extraordinary dedication to honor obligations to charity matches, tournaments, and media duties, all while going through treatment. Despite harsh reactions, Hunter played on through the illness and received a rapturous applause at The famous Sheffield venue when he turned out for the World Championships that year. When he died in autumn 2006, snooker's family-like circuit lost one of its cherished personalities. "It's awful," Kristina says. "I wouldn't wish any mum and dad to suffer such a loss." An Enduring Legacy: Inspiring Youth Hunter's true impact would be felt not in palaces and castles but in community venues across the UK. The Paul Hunter Foundation, set up before his death, would provide free snooker sessions to youths all over the country. The program was so successful that, according to reports, issues with young people in some areas plummeted. "The idea was for a program to help offer a constructive activity," one official said. The Foundation helped establish the basis for a huge coaching programme, which has opened up playing opportunities to children internationally. "Paul would have loved what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a leading figure in the sport stated. Never Forgotten: 20 Years Later Historic matches of their son's matches via the internet help his parents stay "connected to him". "I can watch it and I can watch Paul at any moment," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We like to reminisce about Paul," she concludes. "Initially it was painful, but I'd rather somebody remember him than him not be recalled." While he never won the World Championship, the widespread belief that Hunter would have eventually won snooker's greatest prize is etched into the sport's legend. The Masters, the competition with which he is most associated, starts later this month. The winner will lift the trophy named in his honor. But for all his successes, two decades after his death it is Paul Hunter's personality, as much his spectacular skill with a cue, that will ensure he is never forgotten.